


It's A Date

by jisoomes



Series: Hayffie Christmas 2020 [7]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28285044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jisoomes/pseuds/jisoomes
Summary: Based on the prompt: We both work at the mall’s Pictures with Santa event. You shouldn’t be able to look that attractive in an elf’s costume and we should not be hooking up in Santa’s Cottage on our break AU
Relationships: Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket
Series: Hayffie Christmas 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063949
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21
Collections: Hayffie Christmas Stories





	It's A Date

“This has to be a fucking joke,” Haymitch cursed, pulling uncomfortably at the fake beard. The material was scratching against his stumble and causing it to itch.

“Oh trust me,” the elf in front of him spat. “You would  _ not _ be my first choice for a replacement either.”

Haymitch couldn’t help it, he smirked. Shitty as the situation was, the hot elf he had only spied when he came to pick up Peeta was an added plus.

Surely, it was indecent to dress like that around kids? The ridiculous red and green hat was easy to ignore once he caught sight of those legs. Perhaps the stripy tights weren’t the most appealing, but they clung to the shape and it drove him mad. That was all without mentioning the tight top that clung to her chest, she didn’t have much there but it seemed like more than a mouthful and he couldn’t stop picturing it…

“Eyes  _ up _ ,” she hissed. “You cannot be Santa and stare at my chest all day. Really! Think of the children.”

He scoffed. “Did you think of the children when you wore such a short skirt? You’re going to give all the dad’s a hard-on.”

“I can assure you that has never happened.” She narrowed her eyes. “Just because you are a pervert, doesn’t mean everybody is.” 

He’d beg to differ. She was gorgeous. Far too gorgeous for such a small town. She reeked of the city and that was strangely appealing. He wanted to know how she ended up here. Why she’s working as an elf when she screamed money...

Haymitch bit his tongue though, already knowing he would just cause an argument. And considering she was his coworker for the foreseeable future, he didn’t want to rock the boat too much.

No matter how attractive she was all riled up. 

-

Effie pursed her lips, looking down at him with a fiery gaze. “You have got to mind your language around the children.”

He threw his hands in the air, rolling his eyes so hard it almost hurt. “That’s a fucking joke, right? The boy pissed on me!” He gestured to the patch on his knee. “That’s piss!  _ Piss _ on velvet!”

Effie - to her credit - looked a little disgusted and wrinkled her nose. “That does not excuse your language. Always so rude. Honestly Haymitch I swear...”

“You do?” he mocked nastily. “All this talk about language and here’s  _ Sugarplum Mary  _ confessing to the very crime herself!” 

He stood up, all too aware it was getting close to the end of school and there’d be a rush of kids eager to tell Santa all the stuff their parents could definitely not afford. There were spare costumes in one of the rooms. 

Effie held out a pair already. Her voice was quiet as if she were tired all of a sudden. “Here, I got some for you.”

“Thanks,” he replied because he wasn’t that much of an asshole. He stripped the trousers off in record time, desperate to change them before it seeped through to touch his leg. He wouldn’t be able to shower for a while, he could only hope the smell was mostly on the trousers.

He was so focused on changing, he forgot he had never taken the trousers. He had forgotten she was even there.

“I’m wearing underwear,” he told her as he finally took the spare from her. Given the way her eyes were looking anywhere but his bottom-half, he thought that was what she was worried about.

He’d been wrong.

“I know,” she said too quickly.

Haymitch smirked. “Looked, did you? Impressed?”

He expected her to go all haughty and proper, but she surprised him.

“It is nothing to write home about,” she declared very confidently, in total contrast to the way he could see her cheeks heating up in the dim light of the grotto. 

She  _ had _ been impressed then, that was good to know. Or rather, it wasn’t. He couldn’t care less about her opinions on him in this underwear. He might be going through a dry spell but the irritating elf he’d been arguing with for almost a week now was not a likely prospect...

“Are you going to put them on anytime soon?” She asked. Her eyes twinkled with amusement in the fairy lights and suddenly he forgot every reason why he wouldn’t sleep with her...

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there - him in his underwear and her all ruffled feathers. But after a minute, Effie glanced down, then trailed back up. She met his eyes again and then looked a little further down.

His lips.

He licked them without a second thought, eager to know what she tasted like. Sweet, like some kind of ridiculous Christmas cookie? Or maybe dark and bitter. He liked both. And he felt like either could be possible with her. She was all happy and sunshine but there was a hidden depth there too.

She loved the children, that was plain to see. She loved giving them their little gift bags and playing the part perfectly. She was ridiculously committed to giving them the best experience.

The depth often came through when they finished with the last child of the day. Or he did something  _ really _ impolite, there’d be a flash of irritation in her blue eyes. Quickly and carefully masked away under a cheerful expression...

There was a rush of cool air as the door to the Christmas grotto swung open. It was always a little bit stuffy in there, but the fresh air felt like a douse of cold water. Effie stumbled back a little - when had she even gotten so close?

“Are you...” Portia’s sentence trailed off when she spotted his state of undress. “My apologies, I did not know you were having afternoon delight...”

“Portia!” Effie screeched, a little like a teenager would at an embarrassing parent. Portia winked at him. She was always down with winding Effie up, it seemed. He didn’t mind the elf so much.

“Somebody is waiting outside, should I tell them it’s closed or will this keep until later?” Behind the woman, there was a very male laugh and Haymitch watched with a smirk as Effie turned red.

“You are a _dead_ _woman_ ,” she promised her friend, marching past her through to the doorway. “Put on the trousers now, Haymitch. I’m sending the next one in straight away.”

Portia laughed. “I will leave you to it.”

“You could stay and watch the show,” he teased. It was only a tease though, he knew that Effie wasn’t joking and he didn’t particularly want to scar any children...

“I would not want to step on any toes,” she replied with a knowing grin.

He didn’t have time to linger on what that meant.

-

“I am going to kill Peeta,” Haymitch cursed. He stripped the stupid Santa jacket off without hesitation. It was too hot and he could still feel the ladies hands crawling on the arm.

“She was not that bad,” Effie hummed. He pretended he didn’t notice her eyes lingering on his chest. It wasn’t the first time he had taken off the jacket. The thin white undershirt was a little revealing but he refused to be insecure about it. She didn’t know what was under it, he reminded himself. She couldn’t see the scar so there was nothing to worry about.

He scoffed. “Sweetheart, she was one step away from dragging me into another room. Hadn’t even known there was a Santa kink. Could’ve lived my whole life knowing that one.”

“You think it was the suit?” she frowned. “Why, Haymitch, what if she was into your riveting personality?”

He’d stopped rolling his eyes at her last week. “You think you’re  _ so _ funny.”

“I am funny,” she said with unabashed confidence. Fuck, he hated how much he liked the way she lifted her head high and looked down at him...

“Yeah? I wouldn’t know, you never stop nagging me to tell a joke.”

She pursed her lips, batting her ridiculous lashes in irritation. “You are in a mood, today.”

“I hate old ladies touching me up,” he shrugged. It had always disgusted him when people took liberties with other’s bodies. Felt they were _entitled_ to it...

After looking after Finnick though... Situations like the last parent made his blood boil. Even if he wasn’t the boy’s age, he knew all too well how perverted old ladies like that could be.

“How is Peeta doing?” Effie asked, seeming to sense it was a sensitive topic. She was good at that, he noted. She was very good at knowing when to stop with him.

“Better,” he replied through gritted teeth. “He’s getting used to the new leg. Not sure he’ll be alright to go back to this though. How’s the work on finding my replacement?”

She sighed. “Well, it is very last minute and it seems like you’ll be here for the entire holiday.”

“Don’t sound so miserable about it,” he chuckled. “Complain all you want; you like it when I irritate you.”

She hadn’t expected that, he could tell. The shock registered on her face, followed by a hint of uncertainty...

“I suppose you are not the worst Santa we’ve had,” she admitted.

“How long have you worked here?” He asked with a frown. He had not seen her around before. Then again, he didn’t go near the pathetic excuse of a mall very often, especially around Christmas.

“Three years,” she replied.

He hesitated before he asked his next question, not quite sure they were friendly enough to ask it. Not quite sure why he cared enough to ask it... “How’d you end up here, doing this?”

“My grandma used to own a house here, we visited a lot in the winter. It was familiar.” She smiled. For the first time, he thought it was a genuine one. “I visited every few winters. They were struggling to keep the grotto open...”

Her voice trailed off as if she were lost in her head a bit.

He added two and two. “You helped pay for the grotto, didn’t you?”

It was a shot in the dark really, but she acted so... Rich. It didn’t seem like a bad guess.

She laughed. “I did. Make fun of me if you wish.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to do just that. But he frowned instead. “Why?”

The grotto hardly brought in money. Meeting Santa was free, you paid for the photos but it probably didn’t even sustain itself, let alone make a profit.

“Every child deserves a good Christmas,” she hummed a little sadly. “Why did you end up filling in for Peeta?”

Haymitch shrugged. “The only man with no life this time of year willing to suffer, I guess.”

Well, that and the boy had begged him. Last year, he had baked cookies for the goodie bags the kids received. This year, he had offered to be Santa. It was a sensitive subject for him, he knew.

He had never gotten a Christmas he’d deserved with his family. And with Katniss’ refusal to have children of her own... To his understanding, it was a way for him to release the pent up fatherly energy.

Then he had slipped and fallen quite badly on some ice and had to take time off because of his prosthetic leg...

Effie looked a little dismayed at that answer and instinctively he wanted to reach out and fix whatever he’d said. His hands itched to touch her suddenly...

It was because of that, that he closed himself off. Let the awkwardness hang in the air. Caring about the gorgeous elf he'd found himself working with was a dangerous path.

-

Things were different after their talk. Effie was distant somehow like he’d said something to upset her. He knew he hadn’t but the way she acted was like he had...

He shouldn’t care either way though. He only had to put up with the uncomfortable surface level acknowledgements for two more weeks and then he never has to deal with her again.

Yet, he can’t help it. She looked sad, and he’d never been good with sad women. And he’d never claim to be a good man but not knowing what he did to upset her didn’t sit well with him.

He’d have preferred him to have upset her on  _ purpose _ .

-

A few days later, he walked in on her and Portia in the tiny excuse of a staff room.

It’s little more than a cupboard with a kettle and some uncomfortable seats. He doesn’t spend a lot of time there. He and Effie ate lunch in the grotto up until recently. 

He had only stumbled upon them because he had needed to pee.

Whatever Portia is telling her must be harsh, because the dark-skinned woman has her head bowed and stopped murmuring the moment the door opened. She didn’t step away, though.

His eyes lingered on the little gap between them, sensing he was walking in on something he shouldn’t. “I’m only going for a piss.”

Effie pursed her lips at his language, causing Portia to laugh just a little. He felt a smirk tug at his lips...

Until Effie didn’t comment, then it died before it even really lived.

He passed the two women with pretend disinterest. The toilet had two separate doors, one where the toilet was and one where the sink was, he slammed them both.

If they went back to talking, he didn’t hear. Haymitch took care of his business quickly enough and by the time he’s done with washing his hands, Effie was alone in the staff room.

“Everything okay?” He asked when she simply stared at him. He was getting sick and tired of the silent treatment.

“Yes...” Her reply hung in the air. “About the past few days...”

Haymitch shook his head. “It’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t got to explain to me what’s crawled up your ass and died.” Although, I wouldn’t mind if you did, he didn’t say.

She glared at him. “Do you mind? I am trying to apologise here. There is no need to be like that.”

“Apologise for what?” he scoffed. “We’re not even friends, I don’t care about your apology.” The words felt strange on his tongue, as if not truthful...

Hurt flashed in her eyes. Quickly covered by the same cheerful smiles she gave the children. “Of course, why did I think otherwise?”

She turned as if to leave. A stab of regret hit his stomach.

“Effie...” He tried. She didn’t stop so he did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed her arm and forced her to twist back towards him.

“Let me go!” She squealed. She wriggled to get away from his grip but he didn’t cave, too in his head about what to do next. “I will call for Portia.”

“Tell me what’s gone on,” he demanded. He loosened his grip a little, very clearly giving her the option to leave if she really wanted to.

She looked down, uncharacteristically insecure. “Nothing, I just... I thought you were enjoying being here.”

He hadn’t expected that and when she shrugged him off and left him open-mouthed like a fool in the staff room, he could do little more than stare at the half-stuck post-it note on the dirty wall she had been blocking.

-

End of the day used to be Haymitch’s favourite time. They used to talk whilst they cleaned up the grotto, turning off the lights and checking the bags were ready for tomorrow. On days where they weren’t, he’d be forced to pack some with her in a comfortable silence he refused to admit he liked.

On those days, he drank less once he was home.

Now, if there were bags to be filled, he wouldn’t have known. Perhaps Effie started taking them home to do herself. Or maybe she had forced Portia to help her instead.

All he knew was that besides a quick clear up of the grotto, she was out of there before he had a chance to ditch the stupid beard.

The moment the last child was out of the grotto, he spoke. “I do enjoy being here, Effie.”

He hated her right then. For making him admit something so silly.

“Alright,” she nodded, her voice was strangely distant.

There was a stab of anger in his gut. “What the fuck is wrong now?”

He didn’t hide his annoyance when he stood up, finally tearing the itchy beard off of his chin and throwing it aside. He waited for her to chide him for making a mess, for being an ass...

She kept her lips pursed and didn’t speak a word.

Haymitch felt a wave of irritation. What more did she want him to do? He hated seeing her all... distant and sad looking. And here she was, throwing his attempt at making her feel better right in his face like it meant nothing.

Maybe it did mean nothing to her, but that didn’t quite explain the pull in his stomach that he felt when she looked at him. Or the icy demeanour he’d been faced with the past few days.

He sighed, taking a step towards the door. He tried to ignore the sting of shame and rejection. It wasn’t like he cared that much about an elf, was it? In two weeks, he would never have to see her again.

Peeta owed him a lifetime supply of those tarts he loved for putting up with this.

“Haymitch wait!” Effie called before he could get very far.

He stopped, he didn’t have it in himself to ignore the panic in her voice.

“I’m not very good at this,” she said to his back.

When he turned around, she looked desperate. “Good at what?”

She didn’t reply. Then again, Haymitch supposed actions spoke louder than words. He didn’t know how she got across the room so fast, but how was he supposed to focus on anything when she was cupping his chin and kissing him?

Kissing him.

He barely realised what was going on before she pulled away. Effie met his eyes with alarm and he belatedly realised he hadn’t responded. Had just been frozen like an idiot.

Now that his arms finally worked, Haymitch used them to pull her back towards him. He wasn’t gentle, too impatient answering his earlier musings.

She tasted like dark chocolate and the mints he often glimpsed her taking. Not sweet or bitter but a mix of both. Haymitch had never really been a big fan of dark chocolate.

Now, he was definitely developing a taste for it.

Fuck, she was intoxicating. All soft hums of pleasure and gentle gripping of his hair…

“I have to go,” she gasped when he pulled away for air. “Portia is waiting for me.”

As if to confirm her statement, he heard her phone buzz from the stool next to the twinkling Christmas tree.

Effie licked her lips, looking very regretful. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. He felt his cheeks burn a little when she stared at him for too long. “See you tomorrow.”

She didn’t move right away but the moment she stepped away from his body, he felt colder.

-

He made an extra effort to come into the grotto earlier the next day. Hoping to see her, to maybe have a repeat…

She was late.

By the time he caught a glimpse of her ridiculous striped stockings, she was opening the gate and bringing in the first child of the day.

Haymitch did his best not to ogle her. To pay attention to the kids' lists.

He wasn’t very successful. How could he be when he knew what she tasted like? What did she sound like? When her neck was right there tempting him… Was she sensitive there? He wanted to know. Would she taste like perfume there?

He had intended to talk to her. But the slow built tension was too much and by the time lunch rolled around he was desperate.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one. The moment Portia left the grotto, Effie locked the door and sat on him.

It could have been awkward, it was a little bit. She looked unsure as she glanced down at him through his lashes. Her hands were a little unsteady when she pushed the beard down… Then she brushed her lips against his and everything else disappeared.

Her neck tasted like perfume but when he kissed it, she made a keening sound that was music to his ears. It was too much, too much and not enough. He bundled the elf dress in his hands, a little frustrated at the knowledge they couldn’t do much more…

When Portia returned, his lips were swollen and Effie had excused herself to avoid the amused questions.

-

There wasn’t time to do much on their breaks but he treasured the moments anyway. 

“I’m going to tell Portia we are on good terms again,” she murmured as he nuzzled her neck. “Then we can do whatever we like after work.”

It was bold of her to assume her friend hadn't figured it out. Portia had been wiggling her eyebrows at him every time she spotted them in a room together.

His eyebrows shot up. “Here?”

It felt a little wrong, doing  _ that _ in the grotto. Well… It certainly didn’t feel wrong with her laid underneath him on the velvet sofa in the corner. The flickering Christmas lights kept dancing across her face and he was obsessed with it.

He was trying very hard to think with his upper brain, though.

Effie wrinkled her nose. “Of course not, how unsanitary!”

Haymitch had never been one for cleanliness but he had to agree. Then he imagined Effie spread out on the tartan rug in front of the tree and fake fireplace. Her on her knees next to the Santa chair…

“Your house?” He asked, genuinely curious. He had never seen her out of the elf costume and he wondered what her style was. Generally, women around here wore comfortable and practical clothes. Earthy tones and baggy silhouettes. He couldn’t quite imagine that on her though.

And her house, he was so curious about where she lived. With all of her money, there were endless possibilities. Had she bought an old building and done it up? Had a house built? Did she live in the fancy houses a good drive away from his village?

“If you want,” she hummed. It turned into a soft gasp when he attacked her neck with his teeth. He was careful not to leave any marks though.

“It’s a date, princess,” he smirked before kissing her once more.

-

If he’d have known an overindulgence of sex made you happier, he’d have indulged more in his youth. Or perhaps, this was a consequence of sleeping with Effie Trinket only, because his past encounters had always left him with a strange sense of shame.

They had always felt like betraying his girl. His heart had made peace with being devoted to a dead girl but his body had never been able to make the commitment. It was biology, he supposed. But he had never been able to sleep with a woman without being drunk enough to ignore the guilt. And afterwards, he had always felt awful.

It was like a fresh slate with Effie. Everything felt different with Effie. Wiped clean.  _ Fun _ . He didn’t have the peace of mind to think of anybody else when he was with her.

And she was  _ so _ good in bed… It was embarrassing the first time. Haymitch expected them to at least make it to her bedroom but he had pinned her against her front door in record time. His pants had been down before she’d even gotten out of the elf uniform and he’d been done before she even had the chance.

She hadn’t been rude about it but he had been  _ mortified _ and insisted until she let him drag her to her bedroom and make it even. By the time she had come apart under his mouth and fingers, he was more than ready and he didn’t embarrass himself again.

-

Haymitch had never intended to sleep over. He had been so sure the moment he stepped foot in the pale pink monstrosity she called a bedroom that he wouldn’t linger a minute.

She was so fucking inviting wrapped in silky bedsheets and panting though. So warm against his sweaty skin. Such good company when she woke him up with her hands or soft kisses… 

Slowly but surely, he was waking up at hers. Smelling her detergent on the Santa suit. Eating lunch with her. Haymitch had never spent so much time with a woman he was sleeping with before. He half expected to get bored.

He didn’t.

Over time, he only found her  _ more _ entertaining. Whether it be her inability to cook breakfast or her insistence that he eat lunch. The way she made him drive his own car to and from work because she didn’t want the rest of the staff to find out.

Although, given how they seemed stuck to each other’s sides, he thought that last one was ridiculous.

It wasn’t like he didn’t go back to his house. Just that when he did, he always felt this overbearing urge to go back to visit her. Even just to watch television and eat take out.

He still made time to visit Peeta, mostly on the Tuesday’s he had off. There was no excuse to see Effie then and the part of him that had never felt like this with a woman demanded he put at least some distance between them.

It wasn’t anything serious, they hadn’t talked about it but that said it all, didn’t it? A holiday fling so that they didn’t spend all those hours in frosty conflict. 

-

Christmas Eve was a weird day.

He thought he’d be ecstatic at the thought of not having to get up in the mornings anymore and deal with excited children. Wearing the stuffy suit that always kept him at an uncomfortable temperature. Yet it felt bittersweet.

Effie was weird. The same old snarky self on the outside, but she didn’t meet his eyes when he gave her coffee that morning. And her smile was extra forced when she brought the kids in.

It was an emotion he almost felt like he echoed. Although, that was a stupid notion because it didn’t matter at all that this was their last day on the job together. It wasn’t like they meant anything to one another. 

Hell, it didn’t even mean they couldn’t get together anymore. There was every chance she might want to continue their sleepovers every now and again in the next year. Unless she wanted to date somebody, he supposed.

_ Why did the thought of that hurt a little bit? _ Maybe, he was just getting sentimental. Katniss and Peeta had always joked about turning him into a sentimental old man, perhaps it had some truth.

“You can’t stay over,” Effie informed him as they packed up the grotto. Instead of the light dusting and organising of fake wrapped presents, they were putting the decorations into boxes. He couldn’t help but think this was exactly what he should be doing with these feelings, putting them in a box to put away for the time being. Yet it was hard for him to decipher what was his and what was hers. He could’ve sworn he felt her sadness seeping through to him…

“I have to visit Peeta anyway. The kids love to do a big Christmas Eve meal,” he said. They preferred Christmas Eve celebrating over the actual day. They all had too much trauma for it to be enjoyable. Too many memories of lost family members for it to be a happy day.

She looked dismayed. “Oh, are you going straight from work to that, then?”

No, he thought immediately. He had been very much hoping to get in one last time before they parted ways.

_ This is the perfect opportunity _ , he reminded himself. A great time to break this off…

“Yeah,” he lied. “I am, sorry princess.”

“No worries,” she said, forcing a smile and turning her attention to dismantling the Christmas tree. The sparkly lights had gone, without it, the cheap plastic tree looked dull. “You do not have an obligation to me, there is no need to explain.”

“What are you doing tomorrow?” He asked before he could stop himself. If she didn’t have any plans, maybe he’d invite her to join the kids and him. Peeta loved Effie, he already knew that. And he couldn’t imagine the rest objecting much.

“I have dinner with my parents and the rest of my family.”

“You have a family?” He asked before cursing himself mentally.  _ Of course, she had a family, _ just because she hadn’t mentioned it didn’t mean they didn’t exist. “Are you close?”

Effie clearly hesitated. “I guess we are.”

“Complicated?” He chuckled. “I know all about that.”

“Yeah,” Effie echoed quietly. Silence hung heavy between them. “Your family…”

“Dead,” he answered. He hadn’t even thought of them when he responded earlier, had been thinking about his kids and  _ their _ complicated families.

“Oh,” she replied. “I’m sorry.”

He waved it off. It seemed stupid to have forgotten that she didn’t know about that. She barely knew him outside of being a stand-in Santa and Peeta’s so-called uncle.

Well, he knew what she sounded like when she came apart. And the stretch she did every morning after waking up. He knew she was good at making tea and that she loved the colour pink. That she had a soft spot for reality tv despite her vehement complaints it was a waste of time…

Surface level, that’s what those were. The kinds of things casual lovers ended up discovering one way or another. Hell,  _ friends _ probably knew more about each other. 

-

“Are you okay?” Peeta asked on Christmas Day, not so subtly cornering him into the corner of the porch he had escaped too.

Haymitch shrugged, breaking eye contact with the boy to stare at the darkness surrounding his house. Inside, the loud laughter from Johanna carried out. He had left them all playing a game in the living room, not quite able to pretend much longer.

Why was he so down? He didn’t want to linger on the why. The  _ why _ had blonde hair and impossibly bright blue eyes and sweet smiles. The  why was stunning and lovely and a hopeless cook and…

“You’ve been off since last night, do you want us to go back home?” Peeta insisted. “We wouldn’t mind you know, it’s a sensitive time for all of us. It’s understandable.”

He much did not want to be left with his lonely house. He needed this. The normalcy. The same Christmas from last year. Well, it was better this year. Everybody had settled down so much, moved on from all their past issues…

It shouldn’t be this hard to move on and forget about Effie. You couldn’t get attached to somebody in less than four weeks. It just didn’t happen. Hell, he’d only been messing around with her for two weeks. Nobody got addicted in two weeks.

“You can talk to me, you know?” Peeta said. 

“Thanks, kid. But I’ll save my lady troubles talks for Chaff,” he snorted before he could help it.

Peeta was grinning, he heard it in his voice when he spoke next. “So there  _ are _ lady troubles.”

Was there even a point of denying it? The boy made it sound almost obvious.

“Is it Effie?” He asked cheekily. “Because she has been texting me…”

Haymitch turned around to face him again. He expected smugness but instead, he could glimpse the worry in Peeta’s eyes. “What has she told you, boy?”

“Nothing,” he said. “She’s just been asking an awful lot about my Christmas plans.”

“She’s with her family,” Haymitch commented, the spark of excitement dampened once he realised she hadn’t asked about him, maybe she didn’t care. That had been the plan, after all.

Peeta chuckled. “Nuh-uh. She’s on her way here because she’s feeling lonely.”

“Here?” He scoffed. “No way.”

-

Effie showed up later that evening, a nervous look on her face and shy persona he had never seen her have before.

She looked as good as he felt. The cheerful glint in her eyes was gone and the elf outfit had been replaced with a big fluffy pink jumper that almost swallowed her whole. It looked cute though - not a word he ever wanted to admit to thinking. She looked expensive too, her jeans were perfectly fitted - he didn’t try not to stare at them. At this stage in whatever they were doing, there was no point.

Despite the staring, she never once met his eyes.

It was Peeta who opened the door with a jolly cheer and joyfully introduced her to the rest of the kids. Katniss seemed happy enough to meet the woman her boyfriend obviously loved. Johanna was her usual standoffish self and Finnick immediately decided he liked her. Annie was polite enough too.

When dessert was brought out, he was more than happy to offer half his Christmas cake. Only to be told that there was more than enough to go around, much to his embarrassment.

Effie’s eyes twinkled though, looking happier than he had seen her that week so he let it slide.

They didn’t speak, he didn’t know what he wanted to say. How to go about this… It had been so long since he had even had an interest in a woman that wasn’t a one-night stand. Just how did he explain his fucked up past? His emotional unavailability?

“Thank you for the invite, Peeta,” Effie announced sometime between after dessert drinks and midnight. “This was lovely.”

“Haymitch will walk you to the door!” Peeta offered. He didn’t give Haymitch time to refuse, going right back to whatever conversation he was having with the rest of the group.

Effie hesitated as he led her to the door. “I wasn’t sure if you would be here or not.”

He shot her a disbelieving look.

“Well,” she winced. “I had hoped but still.”

He opened the door for her, hoping she had brought her car because she would freeze in this weather.

“I missed you,” she rushed out before he could shut the door behind her. Not that he would’ve, he did, after all, want to talk to her too. “And I was thinking… We could continue whatever this is…”

“I’m not looking for anything serious,” he clarified.

“Oh!” She smiled. “Me neither. No expectations just… See where it goes?”

“Yeah?” he asked, waiting for the catch.

“My house? New Years? I have a big party, you should stay over.” She looked so hopeful…

“No expectations, yeah?” 

She nodded.

“It’s a date then, princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> You would not BELIEVE how unlucky this one-shot was for me. It really started a whole week of bad luck for me so I'm just hoping it's not contagious xD.  
> Tell me your thoughts! Did you like this? Did you hate it? It's almost the end of my little Hayffie week, I'll be posting the last one-shot tomorrow, it's super short but it was my favourite to write :)  
> Happy Christmas Eve everybody, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas (just in case I don't see you tomorrow <3).


End file.
